It was once known as the diet of hippies and extreme animal lovers, but not anymore. Veganism is slowly becoming mainstream as professional bodybuilders and celebs from Mike Tyson to Bill Clinton — not to mention some normal folks — transition to the vegan lifestyle.

The vegan diet means eliminating all animal products on the plate. So most vegans steer clear of meat, dairy, eggs, and even honey. Some vegans are motivated by humanitarian concerns, but the vegan diet has some potential health benefits, too, like a reduced risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and cancer[1]. Still scared to try the V-word? We’ve rounded up 21 delicious substitutions that can help ease the blow.

Meat

1. Tofu (firm or extra firm): One of the most common substitutes for meat, tofu has a light, fluffy texture. Half a cup packs 10 grams of protein, about half the quantity of protein in the same amount of chicken. (So make sure to add some nuts or sesame seeds when replacing meat with tofu.) Tofu stars in a range of dishes, from vegan lasagna to this summer salsa dish, but there are a fewcooking tips to keep in mind to avoid a tasteless meal.

2. Seitan: Made from wheat gluten, seitan has almost as much protein and less fat than the same amount of ground beef. Even though seitan doesn’t pick up flavors as well as tofu, the texture is more meat-like. It’s a great replacement for meat in beef and chicken main dishes — try this veganteriyaki recipe.

3. Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP): TVP doesn’t exactly sound appealing: It’s basically defatted soy flour (meaning the oils were removed during processing) that comes in the form of granules. But a lot of people find TVP quite tasty — and nutritious. It’s not only a good source of protein, but it’s also rich in fiber, a key nutrient for digestive health. And no need to forgo tacos andchili — TVP’s a great substitute for ground beef or ground turkey!

4. Tempeh: Tempeh is made from whole soybeans, meaning it has a pretty bumpy texture. The meat substitute is packed with protein (about 15 grams per half-cup serving), fiber, and all sorts ofantioxidants. The next time a BLT craving hits, skip the bacon and opt instead for a “TLT.” (That’stempeh, lettuce, and tomato.)

5. Chickpeas: Also known as Garbanzo beans, chickpeas are rich in protein (12 grams per cup) and folate, important for red blood cell production and proper brain function. Some great vegan chickpea choices include falafel and “Tu-no,” a vegan tuna recipe that may leave you free of the sea forever.

Cheese

6. Nutritional Yeast: Another meat replacement that’s way more appetizing than it sounds,nutritional yeast is a good source of protein and vitamin B12. Plus it’s a good option for those watching their blood pressure, with about 9 mg of sodium per ounce compared to about 428 mg in the same amount of Parmesan cheese. Still dreaming of Parmesan-covered spaghetti? Sprinkle on some nutritional yeast for some cheesy flavor on pastas and in sauces, like mac and cheese!

7. Soy Cheese: For vegan cheese lovers, this food is almost like magic. Soy cheese melts, spreads and tastes like the real thing — without all the saturated fat! Use soy cheese in all traditional cheese dishes, like fancy fondue. But keep in mind soy cheese doesn’t usually provide as much protein or calcium as most types of milk cheese, so add some nuts or another protein source to a cheese-free meal. Abracadabra!

Milk

8. Soy Milk: One of the most common milk substitutes, soy milk is a nutritional superstar. Some brands pack protein, vitamin D, and 15 percent more calcium than skim milk. With its light taste, soy milk can replace cow’s milk in almost any dish — even doughnuts!

9. Rice Milk: Made from the liquid of ground rice, rice milk is a light-tasting, low-cholesterol alternative to cow’s milk, with about the same amount of calcium. Try it chilly in this ice cream recipe.

10. Almond Milk: Compared to cow’s milk, almond milk is about equal in calories and even higher in healthy fats and antioxidants. This thick milk is great for baking goodies, like this marbled banana bread.

11. Hemp Milk: Yes, hemp milk is made from hemp seeds, marijuana’s cousins. But the high we get from drinking this stuff is from the awesome nutrients. Hemp milk is a great source of omega-3fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation and improve brain function. (But bones, beware: Hemp milk doesn’t have as much calcium as whole milk, so be sure to get extra calcium from othernon-dairy sources.) Pour it on cereal or in a mocha latte for a delicious milk-free delicacy.

12. Oat Milk: Surprised to hear there’s such a thing as milk made with oats? Don’t be. Oat milk can improve hair and skin health and provide a ton of fiber and iron. It’s lighter in taste than cow’s milk, can replace milk in a variety of recipes, and anyone can make it! Try the cashew version for an extra kick.

13. Coconut Milk: Go cuckoo for coconut milk. This low-calorie liquid packs protein plus vitamins and minerals like magnesium, which aids the muscular system. (The only downside is coconut milk doesn’t have quite as much calcium as cow’s milk.) Coconut milk is great in creamy sauces, especially curry sauces.

Eggs

14. Tofu (silken or soft): Just like an egg, tofu is a great source of protein. (A half-cup serving of tofu has 10 grams of protein; one large egg has 6 grams.) Tofu tastes great in heavy egg dishes likequiche and omelets. Or scramble tofu with some veggies for a nutritious breakfast.

16. Flax Seeds: When it comes to baking, flax seeds are a great, if unexpected, substitute for eggs. The seeds turn baked goods from sweet treats into awesome sources of Omega-3 fats and fiber. Remember to ground the flax seeds or buy flaxseed meal before baking. (If not, prepare to eat some chunky muffins.) Then give this gingerbread flax muffin recipe a try.

17. Mashed Bananas: An egg and a banana might look pretty different, but they’re both great binding agents (the stuff that holds all the ingredients together). Use mashed banana as an alternative binding agent in different baking recipes for some potassium-rich cakes or chocolate chip muffins.

Honey

20. Agave Syrup: Even though it’s made from the same plants responsible for tequila, agave syrup won’t give us that happy-hour buzz. Still, as a honey substitute, it doesn’t disappoint. Agave syrup is sweeter than sugar and thinner than honey — but it can also be filled with fructose and calories, so use it sparingly. Agave syrup’s a great sweetener for teas, juices, desserts, anddressings.

21. Maple Syrup: It’s the secret Aunt Jemimah’s kept for too long: Maple syrup is a great alternative to honey. It’s full of antioxidants, zinc, iron and potassium, nutrients that help boost heart health and the immune system. Plus it’s usually lower in sugar and calories than honey. And flapjacks won’t be the only treat doused in sweet goodness: Maple syrup can also replace honey as an oatmeal topping and even sweeten up blueberry pie.

Did we miss any of your favorite vegan products? Let us know in the comments below!

57 Health Benefits of Going Vegan

From NursingDegree.net

Vegans are frequently misunderstood as fringe eaters with an unnatural passion for animal rights. While many vegans do feel passionately about animals, its time for others to see that a vegan diet and lifestyle go way beyond animal rights. Following a healthy, balanced vegan diet ensures a host of health benefits as well as prevention of some of the major diseases striking people in North America. Read these blogs to find out about the health benefits or going vegan or just provide better information to your patients.

Nutrition

All of the following nutritional benefits come from a vegan diet full of foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, and soy products.

Fiber. A diet high in fiber (as vegan eating usually is) leads to healthier bowel movements. High fiber diets help fight against colon cancer.

Magnesium. Aiding in the absorption of calcium, magnesium is an often overlooked vitamin in importance to a healthy diet. Nuts, seeds, and dark leafy greens are an excellent source of magnesium.

Potassium. Potassium balances water and acidity in your body and stimulates the kidneys to eliminate toxins. Diets high in potassium have shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Folate. This B vitamin is an important part of a healthy diet. Folate helps with cell repair, generating red and white blood cells, and metabolizing amino acids.

Antioxidants. For protection against cell damage, antioxidants are one of the best ways to help your body. Many researchers also believe that antioxidants helpprotect your body against forming some types of cancer.

Vitamin E. This powerful vitamin has benefits for your heart, skin, eyes, brain, and may even help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. A diet high in grains, nuts, and dark leafy greens is full of Vitamin E.

Phytochemicals. Plant-based foods provide phytochemicals, which help to prevent and heal the body from cancer, boost protective enzymes, and work with antioxidants in the body.

Protein. That protein is good for your body is no surprise. It may be a surprise to learn that most Americans eat too much protein and in forms such as red meat that are not healthy ways of getting protein. Beans, nuts, peas, lentils, and soy products are all great ways to get the right amount of protein in a vegan diet.

Disease Prevention

Eating a healthy vegan diet has shown to prevent a number of diseases. Find out from the list below what you could potentially avoid just by switching to a healthy, balanced vegan way of eating.

Blood pressure. A diet rich in whole grains is beneficial to your health in many ways, including lowering high blood pressure.

Type 2 diabetes. Not only is a vegan diet a weapon against Type 2 diabetes, it is also “easier to follow than the standard diet recommended by the American Diabetic Association.” Read more about it here.

Prostate cancer. A major study showed that men in the early stages of prostate cancer who switched to a vegan diet either stopped the progress of the cancer or may have even reversed the illness.

Colon cancer. Eating a diet consisting of whole grains, along with fresh fruits and vegetables, can greatly reduce your chances of colon cancer.

Breast cancer. Countries where women eat very little meat and animal products have a much lower rate of breast cancer than do the women in countries that consume more animal products.

Cataracts. Much the same way macular degeneration is headed off by a vegan diet, cataracts are also thought to be prevented through the intake of the same fruits and vegetables. Produce high in antioxidants are also believed to help prevent cataracts.

Arthritis. Eliminating dairy consumption has long been connected with alleviating arthritis symptoms, but a new study indicates that a combination of gluten-free and vegan diet is very promising for improving the health of those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoporosis. Bone health depends on a balance of neither too much or too little protein, adequate calcium intake, high potassium, and low sodium. With a healthy vegan diet, all four of these points set a perfect scenario for preventing osteoporosis.

Physical Benefits

In addition to good nutrition and disease prevention, eating vegan also provides many physical benefits. Find out how a vegan diet makes your body stronger, more attractive, and more energetic.

Body Mass Index. Several population studies show that a diet without meat leads to lower BMIs–usually an indicator of a healthy weight and lack of fat on the body.

Weight loss. A healthy weight loss is a typical result of a smart vegan diet. Eating vegan eliminates most of the unhealthy foods that tend to cause weight issues. Read more about weight loss and a vegan diet here.

Energy. When following a healthy vegan diet, you will find your energy is much higher. This blog post in Happy Healthy Long Life describes how NFL tight-endTony Gonzalez started eating vegan and gained energy–while playing football.

Healthy skin. The nuts and vitamins A and E from vegetables play a big role in healthy skin, so vegans will usually have good skin health. Many people who switch to a vegan diet will notice a remarkable reduction in blemishes as well.

Longer life. Several studies indicate that those following a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle live an average of three to six years longer than those who do not.

Bad breath. Vegans frequently experience a reduction in bad breath. Imagine waking up in the morning and not having morning breath.

Hair. Many who follow vegan diets report that their hair becomes stronger, has more body, and looks healthier.

Nails. Healthy vegan diets are also responsible for much stronger, healthier nails. Nail health is said to be an indicator of overall health.

PMS. When switching to a vegan diet, many women tell how PMS symptoms become much less intense or disappear altogether. The elimination of dairy is thought to help with those suffering with PMS.

Migraines. Migraine suffers who go on vegan diets frequently discover relief from their migraines. Read more about the food-migraine connection in this article.

Allergies. Reduction in dairy, meat, and eggs is often tied to alleviation of allergy symptoms. Many vegans report much fewer runny noses and congestion problems.

Too Much in the American Diet

The typical American diet not only consists of too much food, it also relies on too much of unnecessary food products or toxins. The following list explains how a vegan diet can eliminate these problems.

Animal proteins. The average American eats twice as much protein as necessary for a healthy diet and much of that is from red meat. Getting protein from beans and grains is much healthier and reduces the risk for osteoporosis (see above).

Cow’s milk dairy. The human body is not designed to digest cow milk and cow milk dairy products, yet the idea of milk being healthy is pushed through advertising. As many as 75% of people in the world may be lactose intolerant and many people suffer from undiagnosed milk allergies or sensitivities. By eliminating cow’s milk from your diet, you are improving your overall health.

Eggs. Many nutritionists believe that the number of eggs in the American diet is too high. While sometimes disputed, it has been shown that eggs can raise cholesterol levels.

Mercury. Most of the fish and shellfish consumed has mercury in it. While some fish have less than others, it is almost impossible not to be putting mercury in your body when you eat fish.

Sugar. Most people have heard that Americans consume way too much sugar. Relying on other sweeteners that are not synthetic, processed, or derived from animal products is a healthier way to eat. Many vegans do not eat processed sugar due to the fact that most of the cane sugar is refined through activated charcoal, most of which comes from animal bones.

Other Benefits

In addition to the health benefits above, following a vegan lifestyle and diet also provides these benefits as well. From helping the environment to avoiding serious bacterial infections, learn other benefits to eating the vegan way below.

Animals. Many people begin a vegan diet out of concern for animals. Whether opposed to the conditions of animals intended for food or eating animals in general, going vegan will help your conscience rest easily.

Environment. Growing plants takes much fewer resources than growing animals. By eating vegan, you can help reduce the toll on the environment.

E. coli. E. coli comes from eating contaminated red meat and is the leading cause of bloody diarrhea. Young children, those with compromised immune systems, and elderly people can become extremely ill or die from E. coli. Eating vegan means completely avoiding the risk of E. coli infection.

Salmonella. Another gastrointestinal illness from animal products, salmonella food poisoning is closely related to E. coli. The most frequent way people contract salmonella food poisoning is through contact with raw eggs or raw chicken meat from chickens infected with salmonella. Again, going vegan means eliminating this risk altogether.

Mad cow disease. It’s safe to say that most people would want to avoid contracting a fatal, non-treatable disease. One way to ensure you don’t get Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is by not eating animals infected with mad cow disease. While the incidence of mad cow disease is not reportedly so high in North America, it does exist.

Global food supply. Feeding grain to animals meant as food sources reduces the amount of food that is available to underdeveloped nations. Many people will go hungry while that same food they could be eating is given to animals raised for slaughter. Eating vegan ensures that you have removed yourself from the participation of this imbalance.

Hormone consumption. Eating animals that have been given hormones to speed growth (a common practice in the meat industry) means those hormones go into your body. Not only can this disrupt the natural balance of your hormones, but some of the hormones given to animals have shown to cause tumor growth in humans.

Antibiotics. Antibiotics are frequently given to feed animals, which can lead to bacterial resistance. Many of the antibiotics used to treat human infections are also used in feed animals.

It is at this point that we, vegans, have a choice about how to have a conversation that is informative and perhaps even inspirational. The protein question gets everyone going because for some protein is a synonym for meat. Suggesting that it is not necessary (or healthy) to eat meat goes right to the heart of the issue, which is that we have been taught to believe something and, because it is a way of life, most people don’t question it.

“Not hungry, I eat all day long! And I especially love to indulge in homemade cookies. No, you don’t need to eat meat to get iron. I get it from broccoli, walnuts, lentils, spinach, oats…”

“But…”

Sometimes meat eaters stop here, nod and wish me luck mumbling something about making sure I eat enough. Others want to debate the protein issue. I am fully armed with answers based on my own experience and my Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell.

The bottom line is this: there are no nutrients in animal based foods that are not better obtained from plant-based foods. Plants have protein too!

It is interesting that a vegan never questions a meat eater’s ability to take in all of the nutrients necessary for a balanced and healthy diet. We don’t question their food choices. Instead, we are the ones who need to defend ourselves. But at the end of the day, the key is to not get defensive. The key is to offer some information that will hopefully cause the person to, at a minimum question their own dietary habits, and at a maximum will convert them on the spot!

We could talk about the benefits of a vegan diet for our health. We could talk about The China Study and explain how some cancers, diabetes and heart diseases are hitting levels of epidemic proportions due to the intake of animal based foods. We could talk about the outrageous sums of money being spent on health care instead of preventative medicine. We could talk about how it is much more extreme to have major heart surgery and live on medication forever versus making dietary changes. We could offer President Clinton’s story about his decision to go vegan and why.

We could talk about the animals. We could reveal the secrets of the factory farm and the inhumane treatment of, not just the animals, but those that work at the slaughterhouses. We could explain how a steady diet of hormones and antibiotics given to the animals create more disease and illness. We could talk about how dirty the food supply really is.

We could talk about the environment. We could quote the report from the United Nations that says that methane emissions from all of factory farmed animals are contributing more to global warming than all of the cars, trucks and buses in the world. We could talk about the oceans are being depleted and how the world is going to suffer because of it.

Any or all of these tacks make for good conversation. In my experience however, most meat eaters can’t listen to this stuff. Truth be told, it is tough to talk about and tough to hear. I have my elevator speech, my condensed explanation that encompasses points about our health, the health and welfare of the animals and the planet.

I believe that the best way to have a productive conversation with a meat eater is not to have conversation at all. Invite them out to a delicious vegan restaurant or even better invite them over and cook for them. Change the conversation.

Lisa Dawn Angerame | Blog | Website | FacebookLong Island, NY Lisa Dawn is an advanced certified Jivamukti yoga teacher, vegan food blogger, wife and mom. She is working hard to spread the vegan love through her cooking, teaching and blog. Lisa Dawn studies and teaches the yoga sutras. She divides her time between NYC and Northport, Long Island. Lisa Dawn is the co founder of NAVA NYC, a meditation and yoga company designed to bring yoga and meditation to corporate clients.

Once again a celebrity has changed their diet to a vegan one after being diagnosed with a life threatening illness. The fact is that a vegan diet may help them survive. My question is, “Why wait until you get sick?”

“The dietary changes that have helped my patients over the past twenty years can help you, too. They can actually make you immune to heart attacks. And there is considerable evidence that they have benefits far beyond coronary artery disease. If you eat to save your heart, you eat to save yourself from other diseases of nutritional extravagance: from strokes, hypertension, obesity, osteoporosis, adult-onset diabetes, and possibly senile mental impairment, as well. You gain protection from a host of other ailments that have been linked to dietary factors, including impotence and cancers of the breast, prostate, colon, rectum, uterus, and ovaries. And if you are eating for good health in this way, here’s a side benefit you might not have expected: for the rest of your life, you will never again have to count calories or worry about your weight.” http://www.heartattackproof.com/excerpt.htm

Larry Hagman is known for his role as J.R. Ewing on the popular hit series “Dallas,” but he recently became a fan favorite when he turned vegan. Let’s just say the actor doesn’t miss meat one bit.

In a recent interview, Hagman reflected on his vegan journey, “After the first couple of months, I didn’t miss anything. I’ve lost 30 pounds; I feel better and have more energy. I’m doing good. Working at 80 is kind of nice.”

Back in January the 80-year-old discussed his transition, “The first thing I did when I was diagnosed was to turn vegan. Now I live on fresh vegetable drinks which taste like c**p but which I firmly believe have helped me get through this thing.”

To fully commit to his vegan diet, he hired an organic chef, purchased an industrial sized juicer and took part in strength training, all to stay strong.

The legendary actor noted he wasn’t sure he would stay 100 percent vegan, “I’ve become a bit of a vegan nut but I believe it’s kept me strong. I will probably reintroduce fish and eggs in a couple of weeks but meat is gone forever, and so is milk. I don’t want those hormones and steroids in my body.”

Hagman’s new eating habits have done his body good, and based on his most recent comments, it seems that nearly 6 months later, he’s still fully vegan.

If you want to see Hagman’s portrayal of J.R. you can catch him on TNT’s revival of “Dallas” this Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST.